Clearing attachment for rakes.



J. F. MERRELL.

CLEARING ATTACHMENT FOR RAKES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 12. 1914.

1,17 Patented 001.19, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Attorneys cuLuAAB'l'A PLANuuRAPl-l 2.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

J. F. MERRELL.

CLEARING ATTACHMENT FOR RAKES.

APPLJCATION FILED DEC.12. 1914.

1,15,561 Patented 001.19,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Witnese V Inventor l I I l JOHN F. MERRELL, 0FMARQUEITE, KANSAS.

CLEARING ATTACHMENT FOR RAKES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (lot. Ml, fitllii.

Application filed December 12, 1914. Serial No. 876,853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. MERRELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marquette, in the county of McPherson and State of Kansas,have invented a new and useful Clearing Attachment for Rakes, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to an attachment for use in connection with sweeprakes whereby hay or the like gathered by the rake can be forced readilytherefrom simply by backing the draft animals attached to the rake.

A further object is to provide an attachmentwhich will automaticzllyassume its normal position on the rake while the said rake is beingmoved forwardly.

A further object is to provide an attachment of this characteradjustable to rakes of different constructions.

Another object is to provide a rake attachment which is light, durableand eflicient and can be applied readily to a rake without requiring theservices of a skilled mechanic.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andawangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

in the accompanying drawings, the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings :-Figure 1 is a plan View of a side hitch sweep rakehaving the present improvement-s combined therewith. Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section therethrough, said section being taken onthe line AB Fig. 1, the attachment being shown projected forwardly onthe rake. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the attachment.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference C designates thetines of a rake, these tines being connected by a rear cross strip D andan intermediate cross strip E, said intermediate cross strip having anintermediate upstanding post F cooperating with side blocks G forsupporting an upper cross strip H. A seat plank I is extended rearwardlyfrom the middle portion of the strip H to which it is secured and bearsdownwardly on a supporting post J mounted on the intermediate portion ofthe rear strip D. Draft tongues J are extended forardly from the rearportions of the side tines C and are obliquely disposed. These tonguesare arranged in front of beams K which are secured to the rear portionof the rake structure and extend laterally and rearwardly therefrom, thetongues J and beams K having means whereby draft animals may be hitchedthereto for the purpose of pulling the rake forwardly. Supporting wheelsL may be mounted between certain of the tines C near the rear endsthereof for holding the rear portion of the rake oil of the ground.

The structure hereinbefore described constitutes in itself no part ofthe present invention but is merely one form of standard make of rakewith which the improvements constituting the present invention may beused.

As shown particularly in Fig. 3, the present invention includes parallelpush bars 1 adjustably connected at their rear ends to a cross bracestrip 2 having spaced series of openings 3 designed to receive fasteningbolts 4 or the like. With this arrangementof bolts and apertures, itwill be apparent that the push bars 1 can be adjusted toward each other.

The cross brace strip 2 is connected to the lower faces of the push'barsl and has spurs 0r prongs 5 extending downwardly and rearwardlytherefrom so that, when the attachn'lcnt is moved forward, these spurstend to drag over the ground whereas, when the attachment is pulledrearwardly, the spurs tend to dig into the ground and thus anchor theattachment.

Secured to and extending forwardly from the front ends of the push bars1 are blocks 6. The two posts are connected to a cross bar 8 forming theupper member of the head of the attachment and the ends of this crossbar are provided with downwardly and outwardly inclined arms 9. The headof the attachment is completed by two cross strips 10 and 11, crossstrip 10 extending under the blocks 6 while cross strip 11 extends overthe block, both strips being adjustably connected to the blocks 6. Theposts 7 are secured to these strips 10 and 11. These-cross strips 10 and11 are provided with series of openings 12 and fastening bolts 13 areadapted to extend downwardlythrough the strips 10 and 11' and the blocksfor the purpose of holding the parts assembled. By utilizing a pluralityof apertures 12, the blocks 6 and the bars 1 can be adjusted relative toeach other at the front end of the attachment as well as at the rearend.

In using the attachment the same is placed in position with the centertines G extending between the strips 10 and 11, and the posts 7, thebars 1 projecting rearwardly below the spaces between these tines. Thehead of the attachment is normally positioned upon the rear portions ofthe tines so as to thrust 'rearwardly against the strip E and a rope 14connects the brace strip :2 to the seat plank 1 and is of such length asto hang slack when the head of the attachment is in its normal positionbut to pull taut when said head arrives in position adjacent the pointsof the tines. It will be obvious that when the rake is pulled forwardly,the attachment will drag upon the ground and, consequently, the tines Cwill push forwardly within the head of the attachment and will gatherthe hay as ordinarily, the head of the attachment ultimately assuming aposition against the cross strip E. After the rake has received a fullload, the horses connected to the sides of the rake are backed. Thiscauses the prongs C to dig into the surface of the ground and,consequently, the

attachment will be anchored. while the tines C are being pulledrearwardly. As the hay on the tines cannot move rearwardly with thembecause of the anchored head of the attachment, said hay will obviouslybe deposited on the ground. When the rope 1 L becomes taut during thismovement, it pulls upwardly on the rear end of the attachment, thuslifting the prongs or spurs 5 from the ground and allowing the entirestructure, including the attachment to be moved rearwardly away from thedeposited pile. After the pile has been properly cleared, the rake canbe pulled forwardly as before and the foregoing operation repeated.

An examination of rakes of different types of construction will showthat two general types are made. In one type the rake has a centraltine, while in the other type two tines are located at the center, thecenter line of the rake intersecting the space between these two tines.In order that the present attachment may be adapted for use with rakesof either type, the push bars 1 have been adjustably connected so thatthey can be moved apart or brought together, thus to receive betweenthem either one or two tines, according to the form of rake with whichthe attachment is used.

What is claimed is A clearing attachment for rakes, including push bars,a cross brace adjustably connecting the rear ends of the bars,downwardly and real-wardly inclined anchoring means attached to saidconnecting brace, flexible means for attaching said connecting brace tothe rear portion of a rake structure, blocks secured to the front endsof the push bars, parallel cross strips adjustably connecting the blocksat right angles to the push bars, said strips being superposed andforming a tine receiving space therebetween and between the blocks,posts connected to the respective strips, a cross strip adjustablyconnected to the posts, and depending arms carried by said strip, saidposts, cross strips and arms constituting a head.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN F. MERRELL.

Witnesses JOHN F. SHIBELY, H. K. BRUCE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

